Thursday, June 6, 2019

The importance of civic education

I attended a viewing of a livestream event called
“Preparing the Next Generation of Informed and Engaged Citizens.” The purpose of this event was to stress the
need for more education in the field of civics to our young people so they will
have a better understanding of how government works and how they can be
involved. After-school programs such as
Girl Scouts, can offer girls a way to learn more about civics and the
importance of being well informed about local, state, and national government.

The livestream event had an amazing panel of bipartisan women.Chelsea Clinton, vice chair of the Clinton Foundation, was the moderator.In addition, there were four other panelists
to give voice to the importance of civics in our society and schools. Panelist
included: Secretary of the U.S. Senate Laura Dove, who started her career as a
page and held other positions until she became the Republican Secretary in
2003; New York Attorney General Letitia James, the 67th attorney
general for the state.James was the
first African American woman to hold citywide office in New York. James is
an advocate for the city’s most vulnerable communities.Chief Education Officer at iCivics Dr. Emma
Humphries, is helping children become interested in learning about civics
through interactive and engaging learning resources. Gold Award Girl Scout
Lauren Hoaglund was the final person on the panel.She has been involved with Girl Scouts since
the third grade and she created a Gold Award project to educate middle and high
school students about civics. She hoped this project would inform them about
government and encourage them to consider running for office someday.

According
to the Annenberg Public Policy Center, only 32 percent of Americans can name
all three branches of government, and 33% of Americans cannot name any branches
of government.Panel members agreed that
this must change.Youth and adults need
to understand the issues that affect our lives, our communities, and our nation.
Chelsea Clinton said, “For a long time I have been concerned about some of the
statistics you have heard about earlier.”She pointed out this affected those who had been excluded from
government; indigenous Americans, people of color, girls and women.

She went on to say, “The
Girl Scouts are leaders, risk takers, and innovators. We empower girls and
women with a robust civics education and toolkit.” She told the story that at
age three she was at one of her father’s campaign rallies, waving the American
flag and handing out stickers. “Because that is what you can do when you are 3
or 4 years old.”

Gold Award Girl Scout Sofia Richardson said, “I’m
excited to be here today to learn more about how civic education prepares girls
like me to be active participants in our government and to stand up for issues
that we care about in our communities.At Girl Scouts when girls learn about the role government plays in our
lives, we are empowered to make positive changes and fill a responsibility to
our country and its’ future.”

As a
college student, I think it is very important to know how civics affects
everyone. Through civic education, girls can learn how important it is to vote,
community issues, and get to know the people who run for office.

What We DoWe serve nearly 10,000 girls throughout southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. With the guidance of nearly 5,000 dedicated and trained volunteers, girls discover the fun, friendship, and power of girls together.